Helena Frye
Basketball Jones is a song by Cheech and Chong that first appeared on their 1973 album, Los Cochinos. Sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, the song tells the story of Tyrone Shoelaces' love of basketball. It is a parody of the song Love Jones by Brighter Side of Darkness. The term jones, which means craving or addiction, is referenced in the song's opening lyric: Basketball Jones, I got a basketball jones. The song was adapted into a 1974 animated short film, directed by Paul Gruwell, and has been covered by various artists, including Barry White and Chris Rock. Interestingly, the name Basketball Jones is also associated with Jim Basketball Jones, a performer known for his school assemblies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces |
| Artists | Cheech and Chong |
| Genre | Song |
| Album | Los Cochinos |
| Year | 1973 |
| Parody of | Love Jones by Brighter Side of Darkness |
| Preceded by | Mock interview with Jones' basketball coach Umgwana Kickbooti |
| Reference to | "Jones" as slang for craving or addiction |
| Animated short film | Yes |
| Short film year | 1974 |
| Short film director | Paul Gruwell |
| Short film characters | Tyrone Shoelaces, Cheech, Chong, King Kong, Richard Nixon, The Beatles |
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What You'll Learn
Basketball Jones is a song by Cheech and Chong
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces" is a song by Cheech and Chong that first appeared on their 1973 album, "Los Cochinos". The song is about a teenager named Tyrone Shoelaces and his love of basketball. It is sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, who plays the title character, Tyrone (as in "tie-your-own") Shoelaces.
The song is a parody of the No. 16 Billboard Hot 100 song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness. In the album version, the song is preceded by a mock interview with Jones' basketball coach, "Umgwana Kickbooti", which parodies a Wide World of Sports interview. The term "jones" in the song's opening lyric, "basketball jones, I got a basketball jones", refers to slang for craving or addiction. Thus, a "basketball jones" indicates an overwhelming love for the sport.
The song features an impressive lineup of musicians, including George Harrison, Carole King, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Nicky Hopkins, Jim Karsten, and Jim Keltner. The Blossoms and Michelle Phillips from The Mamas & the Papas also performed vocals as cheerleaders. The song was covered by Barry White and Chris Rock in the 1996 film "Space Jam".
A 1974 animated short film based on the song showcases Tyrone Shoelaces playing basketball, with increasingly unusual characters singing along to the song. The film encapsulates the political moods of the 70s and predicts Richard Nixon's impeachment.
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It features Tyrone Shoelaces and his love of basketball
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces" is a song by Cheech and Chong that was first released on the 1973 album Los Cochinos. Sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, the song tells the story of Tyrone Shoelaces' love of basketball. The title character Tyrone (as in "tie-your-own") Shoelaces is portrayed by Cheech Marin. The song's lyrics refer to a "jones" as slang for craving or addiction, implying that Tyrone is so enamoured with basketball that it becomes his obsession.
The song is a parody of the No. 16 Billboard Hot 100 song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness. In the album version, it is preceded by a mock interview with a basketball coach named "Umgwana Kickbooti," parodying a Wide World of Sports interview. The song features an impressive lineup of musicians, including George Harrison, Carole King, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, and more.
The song was also adapted into a 1974 animated short film, directed by Paul Gruwell, which further showcases Tyrone Shoelaces' love for the sport. The cartoon was created to promote the song's release and features a mix of live-action and animation. It includes brief shots of Shoelaces playing basketball, but most of the film focuses on a diverse range of people singing along to the song "Basketball Jones." The short film captures the political climate of the 1970s and even predicts Richard Nixon's impeachment.
The character of Tyrone Shoelaces is depicted as having a natural talent for dribbling from birth, which leads his mother to give him a basketball as a gift. Tyrone immediately takes a liking to the ball and carries it with him everywhere. This sets the stage for his journey towards the basketball tournament, where he interacts with potential teammates, coaches, and cheerleaders. The gospel chorus that begins singing during this tournament escalates, adding to the energetic atmosphere of Tyrone's basketball journey.
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It's a parody of the song 'Love Jones' by Brighter Side of Darkness
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces" is a song by Cheech and Chong that first appeared on the 1973 album "Los Cochinos". Sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, the song tells the story of Tyrone Shoelaces' love of basketball.
The song is a parody of the No. 16 Billboard Hot 100 song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness. In the song, "Jones" is used to refer to a "craving" or "addiction". Thus, a "Basketball Jones" refers to loving basketball so much that it overtakes all other thoughts. The song's opening lyric, "Basketball Jones, I got a basketball Jones", encapsulates this idea.
In the album version, the song is preceded by a mock interview with Tyrone's basketball coach, "Umgwana Kickbooti", parodying a "Wide World of Sports" interview. The song features an impressive lineup of musicians, including George Harrison, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Carole King, Nicky Hopkins, Jim Karsten, and Jim Keltner. The Blossoms and Michelle Phillips also performed vocals as cheerleaders on the track.
The song inspired an animated short film in 1974, designed by animator Paul Gruwell. The short film, featuring Tyrone's journey from birth to using the moon as a basketball, encapsulates the political moods of the 70s and even predicts Richard Nixon's impeachment.
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The song was released in 1973 and was preceded by a mock interview
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces" is a song by Cheech and Chong that was released in 1973 as part of their album "Los Cochinos". The song is about Tyrone Shoelaces' love for basketball, with Cheech Marin singing in falsetto as the title character. It is a parody of the song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness. In the song, "Jones" is used as slang for "craving" or "addiction", so a "basketball jones" refers to an overwhelming love for the sport.
The song was preceded by a mock interview with Tyrone's basketball coach, "Umgwana Kickbooti", parodying a "Wide World of Sports" interview. The album version also included a range of musicians, such as George Harrison, Carole King, Billy Preston, and Tom Scott. The song was also covered by an ad-hoc group of musicians including Nicky Hopkins, Tom Scott, Billy Preston, and Jim Keltner, who joined in on piano, sax, organ, and percussion respectively.
The song's release was accompanied by a cartoon animation designed by Paul Gruwell, which depicted Tyrone's skill for "dribbling" and his journey to a "basketball tournament". This cartoon was created to promote the song's release in the United States. "Basketball Jones" also appeared in a short film in 1974, which has been described as encapsulating the political moods of the 70s and predicting Richard Nixon's impeachment.
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A cartoon was created to promote the song's release
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces" is a song by Cheech and Chong that first appeared on the 1973 album "Los Cochinos". Sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, the song tells the story of the title character Tyrone Shoelaces' love of basketball. It is a parody of the song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness.
To promote the song's release in the United States, a cartoon was created. This short animated film was designed by animator Paul Gruwell, although it was rumoured for many years that Ralph Bakshi was the creator. The cartoon centres on a teenager named Tyrone Shoelaces and his natural talent for basketball. In the animation, Shoelaces is shown from birth dribbling a basketball, which his mother gifts to him. Shoelaces takes the basketball everywhere he goes, and the cartoon follows his journey to a basketball tournament.
The cartoon was released in theatres in late 1973/early 1974, before showings of Hal Ashby's "The Last Detail" at select screens. The short film encapsulates the political moods of the 70s and predicts Richard Nixon's impeachment. It features shots of increasingly unusual people singing along to "Basketball Jones", including Cheech and Chong, King Kong, nuns, and members of The Beatles.
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Frequently asked questions
Basketball Jones is a song by Cheech and Chong that first appeared on their 1973 album, Los Cochinos.
Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces tells the story of Shoelaces' love of basketball. It is a parody of the song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness.
Cheech and Chong are comedians and musicians. Cheech Marin sings in falsetto as Tyrone Shoelaces in Basketball Jones.
In the song, "Jones" is used as slang for craving or addiction. Therefore, a "basketball jones" refers to loving basketball so much that it overtakes all other thoughts.
